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Quote of the Day:

Posted in Ballet, Books, Children's stories, Dance, Plays, Theatre, Writing, tagged FAWWA, Frances Macaulay Forde, NorthernYouthTheatre, SwanLake, TheSwanPrincess, TheSwimmingPoolPeople on July 12, 2014| Leave a Comment »

In the dark old days, the storyteller always had the best place by the campfire. Those days may be gone, but the power of story remains. It’s time we acknowledged that, and brought our authors out of the cold.

Joanne Harris from her excellent article: This fairy story has lost its happy ending.

I’ve just finished watching ‘The Swan Princess’ on the Drive In on-line page. Although it credits the story writers and the screenplay writer, it doesn’t mentioned the original Other Swan Stories it may well have been inspired by. Now I want to know which of those stories the beautiful ballet ‘Swan Lake’ was based on.

How many people do you think, have enjoyed these story in all their many presentations. And how many do you think know who wrote the originals, who was the first to put pen to paper?

A story I wrote for my own children in the late 80’s was awarded the FAWWA Furphy in 1994 as “The Best Children’s Book Manuscript”.

To my total surprise, my story was nominated without my knowledge by my fellow writers group members at the Fellowship of Australian Writers here in Western Australia .

Since then,I’ve adapted the story to a pantomime and it’s been performed at Emerald Park by members of the Northern Youth Theatre then again at the 1995 Joondalup Festival.

I’m currently updating the story and adapting it to a script. I know it’s a good story and I want it to live many lives.

Just returned from watching my 6 year old niece dance – it would also make a good ballet.

I’ve never actually sent it out for publication though. I wonder why?

#FrancesMacaulayForde #TheSwanPrincess #SwanLake #TheSwimmingPoolPeople #NorthernYouthTheatre #FAWWA

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Musical Morning

Posted in Children's stories, Illustrators, Music, nature, Other blogs, tagged 12 x 12 Challenge, BLOGS, FordeDOTPaddy, Frances Macaulay Forde, VIDEO:MorningMist on July 7, 2014| Leave a Comment »

It seems to have been a very musical morning for me so far, the first email I opened today was from my very talented brother: FordeDotPaddy

“Morning Mist” is his latest…

Then someone in my 12 x 12 Challenge put me onto this blog : “Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast“

It is an amazing find for picture book writers and illustrators, so if you are one, I recommend you take a look.

But I absolutely loved the music tagged onto the end of the post, about my all-time favorite band…

#FrancesMacaulayForde #FordeDOTPaddy #12x12Challenge #YouTube:MorningMist

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Duelling Alison

Posted in Books, Children's stories, WA Writers, Writers, Writing, tagged Alison Lester, Children's Books, Duelling Illustrators, Frances Macaulay Forde, Illustrators, SCWBI West, WA Writers, West Australian Writers, Western Australia, writing on June 20, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Last week I attended a masterclass with illustrator Alison Lester. So inspiring I totally forgot to take photos to share the experience (sorry) but have a look at her website and the wonderful 25+ books Alison has been involved in either writing or illustrating.

I came home with two beautiful books signed by Alison to my grandies: Kissed by the Moon was recommended for my 19 month old by Alison and Imagine with a sparkly cover things to do while we read, for my 5 year old.

When I read each of these for the first time, I got shivers of sheer enjoyment from the beautiful illustrations and simple but so evocative wording – hard to do.

I confess, I was not aware of Alison before the class but I’m now a HUGE fan and intend to build a library of as many of her books as possible for my grandchildren.

I consider no other gift as valuable as the love of books and like my children, my grandchildren already have an excellent collection of (especially but not exclusively) Australian writers.

Now they have two more treasures.

Our very active and totally encouraging local Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators: SCWBI WEST volunteers, organised the Masterclass to be held on the same day as Duelling Illustrators.

No less than 6 illustrators took part, with three writers offering their unpublished manuscripts as the stimulus for furious flaying of arms around large sheets of paper.

An exciting and great fun, FREE event with standing room only. If you missed this one, don’t miss the next event which happens once a year at the State Library in the Perth Cultural Centre – one of my all time favorite places to be.

SCWBI West members stayed back “Behind Closed Doors – a view from the Publisher’s desk” with Cate Sutherland from Fremantle Press and Jane Godwin from Penguin Books.

Many lucky members left the next morning for a writers retreat held over last weekend on Rottnest Island, just 14 Km off the coast of Perth.

Can’t wait to read the wonderful books which result, as they do every year.

If you’re a West Australian writer or illustrator – or talented enough to do both, I highly recommend you join in the fun and nurturing at SCWBI West.

#SCWBIWest #AlisonLester #FrancesMacaulayForde #DuellingIllustrators

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Play time.

Posted in Animals, Books, Children's stories, Plays, Theatre, Writers, Writing, tagged Frances Macaulay Forde, Hazel Edwards, Joondalup Library, Mem Fox, WritingWA on June 12, 2014| Leave a Comment »

To quote WritingWA from Facebook yesterday:

“Hooray! There’s a Hippopotamus on our Roof Having a Birthday Party” by Hazel Edwards.

Classroom playscripts encourage literacy especially if linked to a fun picture book. ‘Hooray! There’s a Hippopotamus on our Roof Having a Birthday Party’ paperback out soon (from Hazel Edwards) but classroom performance script based on hardback available for free download. http://www.hazeledwards.com/files//classroom_playscripts_from_picture_books/pb_hazel_edwards_classroom_playscript__birthday_hippo.pdf

“Wilfred Gordon McDonal Partridge” by Mem Fox

I know this. I was commission in 1998 to adapt a well known book by Mem Fox to a playscript, so children visiting Joondalup Library could act out and enjoy the story more. The characters in “WILFRED GORDON MCDONALD PARTRIDGE” provided lots of opportunities for young minds to express themselves and enjoy putting themselves into the story. And they did – with gusto!

So I know, the play script so generously provided here by Hazel, will be a huge hit – just as her book will be.

#francesmacaulayforde #WritingWA #HazelEdwards #MemFox #JoondalupLibrary

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Kindle Ninja

Posted in Books, Children's stories, Crafts, Other blogs, Short Stories, Writing, tagged Dressing My Princess, Frances Macaulay Forde, Kindle 30 Day Challenge, Kindle Ninja, Kirsten Echstein, Mr Panda Lives Next Door, short stories, Ultimate Book Coach on June 10, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Ultimate Book Coach – KINDLE NINJA 30 day Challenge

This is my latest challenge: I’ve got 30 days to publish a KINDLE book and Kirsten Eckstein the Ultimate Book Coach and KINDLE NINJA is going to show me how to do it!

It’s only the first week, so at the moment I’m trying to decide what to do first.

I have so many manuscripts and ideas but need to focus on one, then the next, then the next.

Kirsten makes it seem easy and so far, with the insider help of a well-published and successful KINDLE NINJA, I think I’ve got this!

My problem has always been to focus on one thing and get it done. Kristen gives you easy steps to do just that – focus and get it done.

It’s exciting to find out what other participants are already putting ‘out there’ for comment.

For my first attempt I’m thinking of doing one of these:

1. A children’s series of stories which at the moment are in the form of scripts for a TV Series.

2. Should I publish a series of my short stories?

3. The one which keeps nagging me – a DIY book to test the waters, ‘Dressing My Princess’.

What do you think?

#FrancesMacaulayForde #KindleNinja #UltimateBookCoach #DressingMyPrincess #MrPandaLivesNextDoor

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Frozen Phenomenon

Posted in Children's stories, Crafts, MOVIES, tagged Elsa costume, Frances Macaulay Forde, Movie: Frozen, Snow Queen Elsa, Song: Let it go! on May 27, 2014| 4 Comments »

Ever since hubby and I took her to see it at the movies, like millions of other little girls, my granddaughter is absolutely obsessed with Snow Queen Elsa from the highest grossing animation movie of all time: Frozen.

As soon as the video was released I ordered it from Disney and she was the first to have a copy in her class because it wasn’t available here yet.

Apparently for ‘Show and Tell’ she took the book I also sent away for in and sang the song “Let it go!” (For those not aware, the song was a huge hit from the pivotal moment of the film.)

My granddaughter and her 18 month old little sister sing it together and dance around her bedroom. (I tried to video her singing it today but she was “A little bit shy, Nanna.” )

This weekend her Mum is taking her to Disney on Ice and supposedly all the little ones in the audience will dress up like princesses. So naturally, our little princess wanted an Elsa costume.

We’ve been looking for months and were very pleased when the brochures arrived telling us the costume and the dolls were in stock. We tried lots of different shops and got the same reply – “Sorry, sold out!”

There’s even a ‘black market’ in costumes and dolls now – anything in fact to do with ‘Frozen’. I tried to buy snowflake hair slides and nope – nothing available.

There’s was no alternative – I would have to make her an outfit myself – eventually, a doll as well. (She does have a birthday coming up so she could wear the costume for that too.) Could I get the right color materials to make a dress? No – they were sold out too! Perhaps I’m not the only Mum/Grandma etc having to make an outfit…

Well, I did my best. And because I’ve got left-over material, I’m going to make a baby version for her little sister.

Anyway, I took the dress over today for a try-on. I need to take the hem up but basically, it fits and my granddaughter is thrilled. What do you think?

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Easter Bilby

Posted in Animals, Children's stories, nature, tagged An Easter Tale, Bilby, Bringarious Bilby, Easter eggs, Frances Macaulay Forde, Long-Eared Greater Bilby, Our Australian Easter Bunny on April 21, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Easter at our house.

Last day of the Easter weekend and all eggs (except the two above) distributed.

I always buy Cadbury’s Easter Bilby for my son the Environmentalist and the Lindt Gold Bunny for my daughter the Chocolate Connoisseur.

The Bilby is an Australian marsupial under threat of extinction and environmentalists suggested a couple of years ago, the way to help would be to use the commercialization of Easter.

Meet Australia’s Easter Bunny: the Long-Eared Greater Bilby: “And there’s arguably no better way of getting our kids interested in our native wildlife than covering them in chocolate.”

Apart from having my gorgeous grandies round for tea after a family picnic in the park yesterday, I’m busy re-writing a story I wrote a few Easters ago.

Originally called ‘An Easter Tale’ or ‘How the Bilby got Easter’s job with the wrong tail’, it’s now called ‘Bringarious Bilby’ with grand ambitions to be published sometime in the not too distant future as a children’s picture book.

Hope your long weekend was all you wanted it to be – and you and yours are safe.

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Grand-ies…

Posted in Children's stories, Love, Poetry, tagged Birth, Frances Macaulay Forde, grand kids, granddaughter, poetry, Western Australia on April 10, 2014| 3 Comments »

Sonja’s artwork. (4 1/2 years old)

My brother is meeting his 1st grandchild in Sydney today, but isn’t allowed to go too close because he sneezed before getting on the flight!

Birth

I held you to my

breast – now calm

and gently, with my

forefinger, caress

-ed your tiny arm.

And today, I got a call from my son to say that his littlest is in the Children’s Hospital with a lung infection! I wanted so much to go straight to her bedside and give lots of cuddles, to make sure she gets better. But that’s my son and her mum’s job – not mine!

Sometimes it’s really hard to stand back. They are wonderfully capable, hands-on parents to their two beautiful little girls, so as requested I will go and spend tomorrow with my older granddaughter until they come home. After Sonja’s Swimming Lesson, we’ll do some painting – always the first question after “Hello, Nanna!”

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Mwambeshi Memories

Posted in Africa, Children's stories, nature, Short Stories, WA Writers, Writing, tagged Africa, Frances Macaulay Forde, Mwambashi river, Northern Rhodesia, writing, Zambia on April 4, 2014| 4 Comments »

As I’ve mentioned before, although born in Northumberland, I grew up in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) in the 50’s and 60’s. I was privileged to have had a protected, idyllic, worry-free childhood.

My Mum & Big Brother on the farm in Garneton… 1960’s

Mwambeshi Memories

Days gone by when safety wasn’t an issue, I remember a little stream that beckoned a group of friends in Garneton. How many times did we saunter – some on bikes – some walking, along the dirt track under the power lines with the warm sun tingling on our shoulders?

I don’t remember being fashion-conscious only comfortable cotton in the hot sun. I don’t remember being boy-conscious (that came later). I just remember loving the escape from home, the walk through the bush, the baking sun and cool, crystal clear water as it hit hot skin.

We laughed a lot; we talked endlessly and carried our innocence and open hearts on our sleeves. God – I miss those days!

How many competitions did we have? Shoes off, stripped down to cossies, we’d race over the hot beige sand and stones burning our feet, to the other side of the bridge.

The bravest would dive into the swiftly running current, going deep, eyes open, avoiding the banks to stay under as long as possible. The current would propel us under the bridge until the air threatened to burst our lungs, spewing water when your head broke the surface.

We’d look around to see who had won. Who had stayed under the water the longest and let the current take them the furthest away from the bridge?

We always sat on the Garneton side, a natural pool which opened up to allow swimming and splashing in comfort. The Marlow’s farm was on the other side of the bridge and further upstream we could hear the cows every now and then.

Later, I remember a story that a crocodile had taken one of the cows from the bank. That croc lived in our Mwambeshi – the stream we swam in every day we could! I don’t remember swimming there much after that.

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Cockatoo Chorus

Posted in Animals, Children's stories, Hidden Capacity, nature, Poetry, WA Writers, tagged birds, Carnaby's Black Cockatoo, Fauna, Frances Macaulay Forde, Hidden Capacity ~ a poet's journey, nature, Peace & Freedom Magaine, Poem, poetry in Western Australia, Western Asutralia, words, writing on March 30, 2014| 5 Comments »

Although actually written at university and included in my chapbook ‘Return of Rainbows’, this poem was first published in ‘Peace & Freedom’ Magazine, in London, 2001 with my daughter’s artwork.

Carnaby’s Black Cockatoos are a highly endangered species of native birds only found in Western Australia. Because of us, these noisy birds who possibly mate for life and can live 40 – 50 years, are in great danger.

Later the poem was included in my first book ‘Hidden Capacity ~ a poet’s journey’ published in Cork, Ireland in 2003.

COCKATOO CHORUS

“We’ll meet in the eucalypts down by the lake.

Discussion is needed – you have to partake!”

Black clouds flew from the oval, park and golf club

to raucously weigh down trees out in the scrub.

“Juicy larvae and insects prove harder to find

all the spraying and logging – ground being mined

has taken our homes, our gathering sites.

Together, in numbers we’ll fly up for our rights.”

From once sacred ground now suburbs, they flew.

From gum-tree nesting hollows, so precious and few